Taxi Service With A Smile
by CherryWolf713
Summary: Just how did Bella get around with that cast on? What would happen if it snowed once more in Forks? Who would Edward dress up like for Halloween? A few One-shots and insights into our fav 'Twilight' Characters! Bella/Edward, Alice/Jasper, Emmett/Rosalie
1. Taxi Service With A Smile

**A/N : Ok, people here's the deal - I was hit with the idea for this a week or so ago when I re-read 'Twilight' for the 3rd time (I'm hopelessly addicted) and I put off writting it cause I was trying to force myself to buckle down and work on 'Full Moon' and my GG fanfic but the idea wouldn't go away - it's annoying like that :)**

**At the moment this is just a little stand-alone scene I would have liked to seen toward the end of 'Twilight'; I wanted it to be more funnier but I'm a slave to the dramatics, though it is indeed much lighter than what I usually write.**

**So read, enjoy, and REVIEW!**

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The bulky cast had been a slight nuisance this morning when she attempted climb out of bed, it had caused more than one complication when she tried to bathe and get ready; and it surely didn't help with her trip down the staircase.

But none of those things compared to her humiliation when Charlie walked awkwardly behind her, herding her toward the police cruiser and not her rusted chevy.

"Dad," she instantly whined, the horror on her face almost comical.

For his part, Charlie swan just shrugged and opened the passenger door, taking her book bag at the same time. "I have to go straight to work afterwards Bells," he explained, tossing the bag over on his side for the time being.

Bella Swan groaned and threw one last look at her over-sized truck and set her face into a scowl, not even attempting to hide her displeasure. "Fine - but next time I'm getting Jessica to pick me," she muttered, letting her father help her into the vehicle.

She could hear her father grumbling on his way around the car, muttering something about Edward never allowing that and Bella's scowl deepened some. Her father must have had some inkling that she had heard him cause he sighed while sliding behind the wheel.

"Where is Edward this morning?" he asked gruffly, not looking at her while he seemed way too interested in back the car down the driveway and maneuvering it into the road.

"Camping," she answered without missing a beat, the lie flowing easily off of her lips now of days. "They left yesterday morning."

"I thought I missed seeing him last night," Charlie mused, a slight smirk on his face.

The look Bella threw his way made Charlie sober up quick. He hadn't been outright completely with his dislike of her boyfriend but the signs were there now, starting to grow. Her newly acquired curfew, limitations on visiting hours, and his newfound interest in her social life all lead to the same problematic conclusion : Chief Swan did not trust Edward Cullen.

"He's meeting me at school after lunch," Bella added cooly, hoping to hide her anxiety to this bit of news. She had almost given in to Edward when he offered to pick her up for school late, not wanting to miss the opportunity to spend some time together; they only had the one class together - plus lunch - till the end of the year and the separations were slowly driving both of them insane. Even though he picked her up every morning, met her after every class and was waiting outside of her last class everyday, the brief, almost stolen, moments never seemed to be enough. Plus she was almost positive that part of the reason he wanted to drive her was he was worried she would somehow get hurt if she left the house without him.

"Is that so?" Charlie answered, taking in his daughters statement. "I can turn on the sirens and get us there even faster," he added, reaching for the switch in the dash.

"Oh my god, dad! No!" Bella nearly shouted, the idea of riding in the police cruiser with the lights on instantly bringing her back down from her melancholy thoughts.

Charlie laughed some then, setting back in his seat. "So, why didn't Alice come and pick you up this morning?"

Bella smiled slightly then, rolling her eyes toward her father. It was obvious that he adored the smallest Cullen; she had instantly wrapped him around her tiny little pixie-finger with just a few words. Unlike Edward, Alice had even been invited to family dinners - not that this kept him from not showing up - and Charlie had even went as far as suggesting that Alice and Bella have a sleep-over sometime, though he clearly stressed it was to be at his home, not the Cullens.

This info too though, didn't stop Edward from crashing in her bedroom nearly every night.

"Alice went with them," she told her father. "It was a family weekend."

Begrudgingly, Charlie admitted, "that's nice. They do seem to do a lot together."

Bella just smiled once more before turning to the window, wondering idly why it was taking so long to get to school, but then she spied the speedometer and shook her head; it was scary how used she was becoming to the Cullens way of driving.

The silence lingered until they pulled into the school parking lot, Charlie pulling the cruiser right up the sidewalk, causing Bella to silent a groan. It was bad enough that Edward practically carried her from class to class - she didn't need her father making things worse.

As he was getting her crutches and bag from the back, he offered - alibi awkwardly - "do you need some help getting to class?"

"No!" Bella blushed almost instantly, realizing her exclamation got some attention from the few kids brave enough to wonder close to the police cruiser. Lower her voice and trying to contain the tone, she amended, "thanks, but no; I can manage it."

Charlie seemed to be questioning her statement and Bella flushed even more, remembering the large amount of 'accident's these past few weeks as she grew accustomed to the crutches.

"I'm getting better," she insisted, taking his hand as he helped her onto her feet. She even managed to hide her grimace when he handed the before-mentioned wooden tools to her. Sensing her father uneasiness Bella forced a smile while she slipped her book-back on her back. "Have a nice day at work."

That seemed to do the trick and Charlie, looking slightly relieved, nodded and told her same - though he of coursed changed work to school - and climbed back into the car, back out of the parking lot slowly.

Sighing deeply, Bella looked down at her over-sized, plastered leg and then scowled at the crutches. "Death traps," she muttered, attempting hesitantly to take a step forward, praying silently for that once it had stopped raining in Forks. She knew this very rare moment would never last very long and hobbled forward again, deciding she wanted to be nice and dry inside before the onslaught started.

"Bella!"

Like the over-grown Labrador retriever he reminded her of, Mike Newton jogged her way, his face glowing as he grinned from ear to ear. "Where's Cullen?" he asked once he got within conversation range.

Knowing this was the motivation behind his smile, Bella forced one back, not wanting to be rude to her semi-friend. "He'll be here later," she said simply, taking a few more wobbly steps forward.

"Oh hey, let me get your bag for you," Mike offered suddenly, holding his hand out.

Weighing her chances on actually making it to class without busting her butt with the heavy backpack in place, Bella gave in and nodded, careful to pull the bag off her back and stay upright at the same time. Once her pack was in his hand they moved forward again, going agonizingly slow.

"Bella," another voice ringed out, the owner coming over, her over-the-top black curls piled high on her head.

"Hi Jessica," Bella managed to say as she tried - without succeeding - to miss a small puddle on the sidewalk that was still lingering from the early morning rain. Looking up from the ground for beat, she saw Angela Webber standing off to the side, smiling shyly.

"Hey Ang-" Bella's greeting ended in a squeal as she went sideways slightly, ungracefully landing on her backside in the murky grass.

"Ugh, Bella! Are you ok?" Jessica questioned, her eyes rising.

Looking around, Bella groaned unhappily. She could already feel the wetness seeping through her jeans. "I'm peachy thanks," she muttered darkly, ignoring Mike's outstretched hand at the moment, looking around for somewhere to wipe her muddy hands on.

"Bella, come on," Mike insisted, taking her wet fingers and attempting to help her up off the ground. The struggle was minimal but as soon as she was righted and Mike thought she had her footing he let go, and she instantly went backward again.

But this time her cry was cut short when a pair of cold arms reached out from behind, catching her under her own arms and keeping her from meeting the mud for a second time that morning. Tilting her head back, Bella looked up to see who her savior was and nearly moaned out loud.

"Nice job Bella - I didn't know the school had a acrobatic division."

"Ha ha, very funny Emmett," Bella muttered, staring up at his grinning face.

"I thought so," Emmett Cullen said, easily setting Bella back on her feet. She fumbled slightly from how fast he did this, causing his booming laugh to echo off the brick buildings nearby. Taking one of the crutches from Mike, who had clammed up as soon the others arrived, Bella carefully balanced herself on it before looking back up.

"Bella - your pants are ruined!" Alice Cullen cried suddenly, her eyes wide as she stood next to her burly brother. Glancing around, Bella took in that not only did Mike, Angela, Jessica, Emmett, and Alice witness her humiliation, so did Rosalie and Jasper Hale, who were standing off to the sides of their significant others. Her cheeks instantly flamed red and Bella could feel her frustration start to get the better of her when suddenly she felt serene and eerily calm.

She glanced out the corner of her eye at Jasper, who just smiled shyly.

"Maybe I can run home real quick and get you another pair," Alice told her, still upset over the condition of bella's pants, making her wonder just how big the grass and muck stain on her backside was.

"Where's Edward?" Bella simply asked instead, having already noticed his tousled, bronze hair and warm eyes were not among the Cullen clan.

"Office," Emmett tossed out while Alice added, when Bella's eyebrow went up, "something about his test scores."

"Which I'm sure he aced," Rosalie said in a clipped voice, the sarcasm still dripping from the icy words. She shot a almost hostile but mostly bored glance in Bella's direction before crossing her arms and turning to glance out over the football field.

Emmett, rolling his eyes, turned from his girlfriend and said to Bella, "you got a little..." He trailed off, motioning to her face.

Concerned, Bella's fingers flew up and she whined, feeling the sludge on her cheek and wiping it off. "Gross, gross, gross..."

Rosalie, not even trying to conceal her delight, smirked and Bella looked down. Alice though, just smiled with a roll of her eyes and said, "Emmett, Shall we?"

Before Bella could look back up to see what was coming, she was up in the air, being tossed over Emmett's broad shoulders like a sack of potatoes. "Put me down!" she cried out, trying to slide out of his grip but knowing that the maneuver was useless; besides, how was she going to land with only one good leg?

"Calm down, Bella," Emmett told her calmly. "It's obvious you can't walk on your own. Consider me your own personal taxi." The smile was evident in his voice as he turned to walk away with her in his gigantic arms.

"But-" Bella stopped and growled in frustration, watching as Alice grinned and took her backpack from a stunned Mike and Jasper grabbed both of her crutches, sending a nod to the human bystanders; Jessica and Angela both looked like they had seen a ghost. With a toss of her long golden locks, Rosalie turned up her nose and stalked off, leaving the others to follow suit.

"Great - this is not at all _embarrassing_," Bella tossed out to Emmett, crossing her arms like a surly 3 year old as she was carried down the sidewalk. She could just imagine what a great view she was giving everyone of her new grass-encrusted rear-end. Alice, who was skipping along behind them, reached up on her tiptoes and patted Bella's head, making Jasper shake his head.

"I will get you back for this," Bella threatened them. "When you least expect it...expect it."

"You do realize who you just said that, right?" Jasper asked suddenly, nodding his head toward Alice with a grin. Sulking, Bella just simply looked back down, glaring at Emmett's back.

"Don't be mad Bella. We couldn't let you carry all of the mud inside with you," Alice joked sweetly, causing Emmett to laugh again. The sensation sent Bella jiggling and she braced herself quickly by grabbing his shirt in a panic, which just caused oldest Cullen to laugh even more.

"I believe this is your stop," Emmett announced then.

Caught off guard, Bella cried out in shock as he swung her down off his shoulder and into another set of arms, these much more familiar. She quickly wrapped his arms around his neck though it was unnecessary - she knew he would never let her fall.

"Thank you," he called out to his older brother. With a half salute Emmett walked of, chasing after Rosalie. Alice came over and left a quick peck on bella's cheek before taking Jasper's hand and leading him off, leaving her backpack and crutches behind.

"Hey you..."

Bella couldn't keep a goofy grin off her face when she looked up into his golden eyes, instantly being 'dazzled' by Edward Cullens' un-imaginary perfection. "Hey yourself," she whispered back, not wanting to ruin the moment.

Edward leaned down and pulled her into his embrace, laying his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and sighing deeply. "I missed you," he told her then, a slow smile forming on his full lips.

"I missed you too," Bella answered, knowing she didn't really need to say it; she knew he could feel her heart racing from his reappearance, her breath catching from their closeness. She opened her eyes slowly after a few long moments. "You came back early?"

Leaning back some and gracing her with his lopsided smile, Edward offered, "what can I say? I had a big incentive to hurry." Reaching up and placing a loose strand of hair back behind her ear he let his finger trace down her cheek. The sensation sent a shiver down bella's back and she could feel her heart skip a beat when he gently tilted her chin up and placed his lips against hers, the chaste yet lingering kiss making her knee's weak.

Bella, slowly blowing out her breath after starting to breathe again, told him in a shaky voice, "I'm glad you did..."

Laughing softly, Edward leaned down once more and placed a kiss on her forehead, letting his own arm fall from her waist as he grabbed up her bag and crutches. "Come on," he offered then, situating all her weight into his arm as he pulled her. "Lets get you to class before you break your other leg."

"Very funny," Bella fake-pouted, but she eagerly leaned into his side, letting him lead her toward her first class of the day.

**The End :)**

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**Now, I'm not sure yet, but I'm thinking of adding on to this. If do decide to, the next part will NOT pick up where this one left off - it will be it's own little one-shot. Whether or not I do this, and also if I will hook it to this one or post it sepereatly, hasn't been decided but I could be swayed by your reviews...(hint, hint, HINT)**

**Let me know what you think!**

**Melissa**


	2. The Snow Wars

**A/N : Hey! I'm back with another little one-shot. Just to be clear, this is not, in any way, connected to 'Taxi Service with a Smile'. I just posted it under this so it would easier to find. I may even go back and change the main tittle to this so it will be less confusing and change the summary since not all of them follow the one I originaly wrote.**

**This little scene is staged the next morning AFTER Edward held up Bella so Tyler could ask her out in 'Twilight'- lets just pretend it snowed that morning, 'kay:)**

**Also, since I'm just writting these as they come to me, they will be in NO order. **

**Disclaimer : not mine...I just wish...**

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"Bella! It's getting late!"

Bella Swan groaned as she heard the voice calling through her bedroom door. Wiping the sleep out of her eyes, she looked over to her night stand and saw the time.

"Dad...it's still early..."

Charlie Sawn Chuckled and added, his voice getting softer as he walked away from her room, "It might take you a while to get to school today. I'm heading out early myself."

"Ok," Bella answered automatically, her voice still groggy. "See you later." Looking at the clock again she groaned, turning her head away from the bright green letters.

The ice clinging to the outside of her bedroom window was the first sign; the second was the fact that everything seemed brighter, almost white. Bella was at the window a second later, her face falling as she took in the winter-wonderland look of her front yard. Sighing deeply, she placed her head against the cold glass.

Snow...she hated snow.

She was still muttering when she stepped out of her house and onto the porch, the chilling temperatures nearly taking her breath away. With another groan she raced toward her bulky truck, thanking anyone and everything that there wasn't much ice.

Her truck wasn't the first vehicle there by a long shot; more than a few other students had decided to start the day early. Not wanting to leave the toasty interior of her truck, Bella scowled and placed her gloves back on, having taken them off to drive. With one last look around her warm enclosure, she opened the door - prepared for the blast of frozen air this time - and climbed out, for once thankful for the bulky coat and boots.

The snow was nearing the top of her ankles when she tried to go anywhere not shoveled, leaving Bella with only one route to reach the buildings : straight through the middle of a group of kids trying to organize a snow-ball fight.

_Great, just great_, she thought darkly, starting forward, shooting her squinted eyes at anyone who even looked in her direction. Most seemed to get the message and left her be.

Most, though, didn't seem to include Mike Newton.

"Bella," he called out joyfully, leaving the group and walking her way. "Snow wars - you joining? We can be on the same team," he added with a knowing grin.

Reaching the sidewalk finally, Bella sighed deeply and eyed the blond-haired boy standing beside her like he was from outer-space.

"Oh, that's right," he said after a moment. "You don't like the snow."

"Got it in one," she muttered, not being able to stop herself. Seeing the hurt expression in his face, Bella regretted her attitude and tried for a more pleasant tone, adding, "Sorry - grumpy mood. But you should go have fun."

As soon as the words left her mouth Bella froze, feeling the light tap on her shoulder and seeing the small puffs of white filter around her. As she turned around she saw Mike eyeing her as if he was unsure of what to do. Bella's eyes instantly zeroed in on Edward Cullen, who was leaning against a brick wall about 15 feet away, his right heel propped up against it.

As if she had no control over them, Bella's eyes lingered on his stunning face, taking in his already familiar eyes and lips - she had stared at them enough to be able to see his face with her eyes closed, though the image would do him no justice compared to the real thing. But when she saw him toss a snowball up in the air her eyes squinted. He caught it easily, his gaze focused out across the football field, not even noticing her and Mike.

"Bella?"

Hearing Mike call her name, Bella finally turned from Edward, setting her eyes back on her friend. Almost instantly another snowball came out of nowhere, this time catching her in the lower back. Growling, Bella spun back around and glared at Edward, seeing that he still had a snowball in his hand, tossing it up and down while he looked away.

But this time his lips were slightly curled up, like he was trying to hold back a smile.

"Did you throw snow at me?" she demanded icily, walking a few feet closer. Edward finally glanced her way, his honey eyes faltering her glare slightly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he responded cooly, sending a smirk her way.

Bella knew that smirk - it was the same look he sent her yesterday after school when he held up traffic, giving Tyler Crowley the opportunity to ask her to the dance, much to her cringe. Narrowing her eyes even more, she placed her hands on her hips and tossed out, "is that so?"

"Yes, it is so." He tossed the snowball up in the air once more. "Maybe it was Newton, or Eric? Or maybe even Tyler." His eyes seemed to almost dance as he finished.

"I was standing right here," Mike tried to defend himself, but Bella had barely heard him.

With her hands now balled in fists, Bella stepped off of the shoveled sidewalk and into the higher snow, bending down purposely. She scooped up a large handful of the white fluff and patted it together, her eyes staring down Edward once she stood back up.

"Don't do it," he instructed her, still tossing his own snowball up in the air. She heard the stern tone in his voice but his face seemed to lite up, much to eager to really mean his words.

_Is he flirting with me? _Bella suddenly thought.

"I'm warning you..." Edward was now smirking at her, his eyes wide and innocent.

Bella scoffed, his words bringing her anger back up. Leveling her eyesight, she reached back her arm and let loose, the round white ball missing her target but at least a foot, smashing into the dark red bricks. Instantly she froze, her mouth forming a small 'o' as she realized what she had just done.

Edward's smirk widened as he stood up, no longer tossing his weapon up in the air. Bella could see the mischief in his eyes and back up, shaking her head.

"Don't you dar-" Bella's words cut off as a huge snowball smacked into her face, the impact light but still shocking. She reached up and wiped the cold muck off of her face, staring her new foe in the eyes.

"You'll regret that," she threatened.

"No...I don't think I will," Edward purred, one of his eyebrows rising. They both stood there, staring into each others eyes : her's narrowed and annoyed, his twinkling and bright. Edward twitched his fingers quickly, forcing Bella to suppress a grin; the movement reminded her of an old back-and-white western she saw on tv late one night. Getting into it, she flexed her fingers too, bitting her lip to keep a grin from forming when Edward crouched down, getting into an attack position.

"Ooh...should I be scared?" Bella asked, not being able to stop herself.

_Oh my god, now I'm flirting with__him_, she thought wildly, cringing at the sound of her voice; she had never heard herself ever use that voice before and it stilled her movements. _What is wrong with me? There is __no__way__ Edward Cullen is flirting with me!_

"Most definitely," Edward cooed back, his voice sounding almost innocent.

_Is there? _Bella couldn't help but notice how his eyes never left her face, how his smirk only widened as she played along, how he seemed to be enjoying himself far too much.

"Snow-ball fight!"

The shout sounded from somewhere to her left and Bella looked back, instantly ducking and squealing as snow started flying from every direction. She could feel it in her hair, hitting her back and legs, and landing all around her. Suddenly she felt something take her hand and looked up into Edward Cullens eyes, shocked to find him so close.

His eyes were trained on her face and he pulled her closer, adding, "I think this is a losing battle."

Another snowball was launched in her direction and Bella cried out, earning a laugh from Edward. "Come on!" he cried, pulling Bella up to her feet. Dodging more attacks she eagerly followed, letting Edward direct her around the side of building 2. When he pulled her downward she crouched right behind him, leaning forward to sneak a peak around their cover.

"I think we're safe...for now," Edward told her, grinning eagerly when he turned back her way.

Bella nodded, not sure she could trust her voice. She had never seen him grin so openingly before; smirk, sure, but never grin.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked suddenly, looking intently at her face.

Caught staring, Bella looked down, feeling the blush cover her face. Using it as an excuse, she reached up and shook her hair out, trying to seem like she was perfectly fine with being this close to him. "The fact that I have wet snow inside my jacket," she joked.

Edward laughed then, the sound almost musical in Bella's ears. As if he heard something, he quickly turned and poked his head around the corner. A second later he was scooping up more snow.

"Watch this," he whispered, turning around and wiggling his eyebrows. Not being able to hide her grin this time, Bella crawled forward eagerly, leaning on her hands to peek around the corner and watch.

The snowball zoomed from beside her with disturbing accuracy, smacking Mike Newton right in the face. The impact was obviously a lot more harsher than the one she had taken and Mike staggered backwards.

"That had to hurt," Bella cried, but finding herself laughing as she took in Mike's enraged and shocked face. She faintly saw their target start to turn their way after her outburst when Edward reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling them both back around the corner, their backs up against the brick wall.

"Shh," he added, trying to send her a stern look but failing as he continued to smile. Still laughing, Bella reached up and covered her mouth. After a few moments, Edward looked back around the corner, seemingly happy with what he saw before leaning back once more against the brick. Giving her a look from the corner of his eye, he nudged her shoulder playfully. Trying to control her heartbeat, Bella took in a deep breath, hoping she wasn't too obvious.

"Still in a grumpy mood?" he questioned, sending her a mock-frown.

Wondering idly how he knew what she had told Mike, Bella sent him a smile and shrugged. Trying to act casual. Pointing vaguely toward the raging war, she added, "nice shot."

Sending her a smirk, Edward questioned, "you expected anything less?"

Rolling her eyes, Bella shoved his shoulder with hers, a little unnerved that the motion came naturally; she hadn't even thought about doing it. Once again her heartbeat picked up speed.

"And I have to say, you're aim is..." Edward seemed to think over his words before looking back and saying, "just terrible," his eyes shining bright and his grin back in full force.

"Ah," Bella scoffed, this time hitting him playfully in the arm. "I can't help, I'm a girl! We're supposed to throw like that." She felt herself blush yet again and crossed her arms.

"Whatever you say." He laughed lightly again. Titling his head, Edward looked out toward the other students then back at Bella, picking up more snow and quickly shaping it into a round ball. Bella watched as he tossed it up in the air and caught it.

"What do say?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

Grinning wickedly, Bella quickly scooped up her own ball and looked him right in the eye. "I get Lauren Malloy."

"As long as I get Mike, Eric, and Tyler."

Raising her own eyebrow this time, Bella simply held out her hand. "Deal."

Setting the full force of his eyes and smile on her, Edward took her hand and shook it. "Deal. And remember to actually aim this time."

Not saying anything, Bella narrowed her eyes and let Edward step around the corner first before she let loose, launching her ball straight into his back. When he swung back around she widened her eyes.

"Oops. It slipped," she told him, letting her hand tilt to convey her point.

Edward slowly crouched again, his grin looking evil as he shrugged his eyebrows. Bella backed up a step, crouching herself.

"You'll regret that," he threatened.

"No...I don't think I will," she said, throwing his words from earlier back at him with a wink before dashing forward, heading straight into the raging snowball fight, laughing the whole while as Edward chased her.

**The End :)**

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**Ok, I know that maybe have been a little OOC for Bella but I couldn't resist that little wink at the end! Please review and let me know what ya think!!**

**Melissa**


	3. Fairy Tales and Prince Charmings'

**A/N : I'm back again:) **

**Ok, I'm taking some big liberties with this story here. First, I'm placing it between the night Edward saved Bella in Port Angeles and the next morning (I know that's only a few hours, but I'm stretching it out - work with me here people) Secondly, I'm placing all of this time frame in the fall, specifically the end of October. Just to be clear, Bell and Edward are still just 'Friends' (not that they were ever really only that, but whatever) and she knows he's a vampire already.**

**So enjoy and review!!**

**Melissa**

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**Fairy Tales and Prince Charmings'**

**-**

Bella couldn't help but fret as she glanced in the mirror. The small light pink flowers twisted up through her hair seemed like over-kill but Jessica Stanley insisted she keep them in, saying they finished off her outfit. Glancing down the length of her body once more, Bella sighed deeply. Checking her clock, she saw how late it had gotten and hastily gave her self one more once-over in the mirror then left her room, picking up the hem of her long dress as she descended the stairs.

The last thing she needed was to have sit in the emergency room with a concussion from falling down the steps while she was dressed like she was. Finding the living room empty, she moved on to the kitchen and found her dad at the table, reading the newspaper while eating cold pizza. He had insisted she go get ready while he fended for himself.

Shaking her head at his choice for dinner, Bella sighed. "I'll be back early."

"Ok, kidd-" Charlie stopped suddenly, having looked up.

Taking in his wide eyes, Bella fingered the long dress. "Too much?"

"N-no, it's..." Trying to find the right words, her father sighed, making Bella frown. Even though her dress was relatively plain, the pale pink gown was obviously designed for the early 19th century. She had left her neck bare, not wanting to go over-board. But even with the full skirt and heavy fabric, she still felt slightly naked with the bare-shoulders and slightly lowered neckline.

"You look wonderful," Charlie told her finally.

Blushing, Bella looked down, not knowing what to say. She finally muttered a small thanks.

"So, who's party is this again?"

Sighing inwardly, she told her father, "Jessica's dad." In all reality, that was the only reason she was attending it. Jessica Stanley had been the first girl to befriend her in Forks, and Bella felt like if she had turned down the invitation - like she instantly wanted to - Jessica would have been hurt.

And it didn't help that Bella knew, further back in her mind, that it didn't help her motive to attend seeing as how a certain moody and unnaturally-beautiful young _man _wasn't going to be there.

"And her parents..."

"Will be there."

Charlie nodded. "Ok. Have fun." When Bella just grimaced, he smiled. "As much fun as someone who hates parties can, then."

Saying her goodbye, Bella headed for the door, pausing when her dad threw out a last comment of, "Happy Halloween."

"Happy Halloween," Bella tossed back softly, her voice anything but 'happy'.

-

The road along side of the Stanley house was full and Bella had to park almost a block away, cursing inwardly as she tried to keep the heavy train of her gown from trailing along on the sidewalk. The party was in full swing by the time she reached the porch, annoyingly-popular dance music blasting from the walls.

Stopping to brace her shoulders, Bella took in a deep, calming breath then walked forward, opening the door and entering the house. Her cheeks flamed almost instantly as she ducked her head, feeling like all eyes had suddenly turned on her. There were only about hundred or so juniors in Forks High School and it seemed Jessica had invited every single one of them to her costume party - and they all showed up.

_Except for one_, she thought sourly before banishing any more thoughts of him from her head. She knew this was not his type of thing and had resided herself to the fact that tonight was going to a human-fulled, extremely embarrassing, boring time.

Looking for a familiar face - or a more personally known one, since she recognized just about everyone here - Bella mumbled a few 'excuses me's' and 'can't I get by' as she slowly headed toward the other side of the packed living room.

"Bella!"

Hearing the squeal, Bella looked up and saw Jessica Stanley coming her way, towing Angela Weber and Lauren Mallory behind her.

She, Jessica and Angela had all decided to dress alike, going for the whole 'fairy-tale princesses' theme. With her curly black hair pulled high up on her head, Jessica had obviously opted to be Snow White, dawning a somewhat revealing yellow, blue, and red dress; where-as Angela stayed closer to Bella's point of view and wore a more traditional version of Beauty and The Beasts' 'Bell'. Her large gold dress looked lovely on her tall frame.

Of course they both tried to talk Bella into taking that character - due to the name similarities - but she had protested, not even daring to get too close to the extravagant ballgown.

"You look so great," Jessica exclaimed before striking a quick pose, pointing both of her hands above her head. "How do I look?"

Taking in the short skirt and very-low cut front of the dress, Bella just said, trying to make her voice friendly, "like a princess."

Jessica squealed. "Do you think Mike will like it?" she gushed quietly.

"I'm sure he will," Bella told her. There wasn't much about that dress that would make any guy un-happy. Looking at her other friend Angela, Bella smiled. "You look wonderful too. Ang."

Angela, looking down some, smiled softly. "Thanks. You too."

Relunctingly, Bella turned to the fourth girl. Lauren Mallory had, of course, opted out of the group dress-up plan; more than likely due to the fact that Bella had been involved. Instead she had decided to dress like a witch of some sort. Her long, skin-tight black slip dress hugged all of her curves and matched perfectly with her deep crimson lips.

Resisting the urge to be rude and comment on how perfect her choice was, Bella simply told the other girl, "you look nice Lauren."

Raising one eyebrow, Lauren just crossed her arms and said finally, "thank you."

Clenching her jaw, Bella turned back toward Jessica. "Nice turn-out tonight."

"I know!" she beamed.

"Ladies!"

Looking up as Mike Newton, Ben Cheney, and Tyler Crowley descended on them, Bella sighed. Ben, dressed like someone right out of a comic book, headed right for Angela's side, pushing his glasses up on his nose as they started to talk quietly among themselves, Angela's face lighting up with a shy smile.

"Wow, Bella, you look great," Mike told her, standing much too close. He had clearly put no imagination in his outfit : he was dressed in a black and white tux, his hair jelled down; secret agent Newton was in the house. She could tell deep down he was dying to ask someone for a drink 'shaken, not stirred'. Tyler, on the other hand, went in another direction and drug up some old jester costume, hat and all.

"Yeah," Tyler agreed, coming to her other side.

Looking her up and down, Mike let his eyes linger in certain places longer than necessary before asking, "who are you supposed to be, anyway?"

Feeling the slightly-hostile eyes of Jessica and downright daggers of Laurens' glaring in her direction, Bella laughed the question off and stepped out from between the boys, turning to tell them, "it's no fun if I tell you."

Trying to make it look casual, Bella turned to Jessica and asked, "bathroom?"

Looking eager, Jessica pointed Bella in the direction of the back of the house. Hurrying off before either boy could offer to show her, she dashed between a very authentic looking Knight dressed all in metal and some kind of zombie looking thing, heading toward the hallway the other girl had pointed out. Scoffing at the 6 person deep line forming outside of the door, Bella shook her head and crossed her arms, her idea of bidding some time hiding in the bathroom now ruined.

Pulling back her long sleeve to check the small watch she wore, she groaned. It was only 9 now. Knowing she wouldn't be able to leave before at least 10:30, 11 - not if she didn't want to hurt Jessica's feelings, that is - she looked around for somewhere to pass her time at. Seeing the small chair tucked in the corner of the room, Bella headed for it.

_Now if I had only brought a book_, she thought glumly.

After a few minutes she had lost herself 'people-watching'. Jessica nor Angela had never came to look for her, much to Bella's great relief. She knew Angela was busy with Ben - she had watched them both walk into the kitchen together a little while ago - but she knew the only reason Jessica was staying away was because she was trying to keep Mike's attention all on herself.

Another thing Bella was grateful for.

She continued to set in the chair, fidgeting slightly whenever any guy walked past, their eyes roving over her outfit and face. She had noticed a group of 3 boys over in the other corner, eyeing her every now and then, turning to say something to each other before nodding. It wasn't until one of them, dressed like a baseball player, stepped into her direction that Bella jumped up, racing toward the kitchen.

Angela was leaning against the counter, her eyes shining as she talked animatedly with Ben, who seemed hooked on every word she said. Not wanting to disrupt, Bella glanced around, spying a door heading out onto a back patio. Knowing that was her best option - there was no way she was going over where Jessica and Mike were dancing in the middle of the living room - she dove for it, taking in a long, deep breath of the crisp autumn air as she went outside.

She was alone on the dark deck, eyeing the small window that offered every little light. Knowing she would rather face the cold and dark than the sheer embarrassment of what laid inside, Bella rubbed her hands up and down her arms, trying to force some warmth into them. Walking over to the banister, she stood next to it, looking into the deep forest that hedged along the back of Jessica's yard.

Almost a ritual for her now, Bella's thoughts quickly turned toward a certain tall, bronze-haired vampire; whenever she let her mind wonder it always seemed to pick this topic, not even if she wasn't thinking of the woods he had asked her to stay out of. Ever since their car ride from Port Angele's the charming Edward Cullen wasn't far from her mind.

His deep eyes, perfect nose, striking cheekbones, and full kiss-able lips plagued her every dream and fantasy. Closing her eyes, Bella sighed deeply, imagining she was still tucked safely and warmly in the passenger seat of his car; his perfect hands only a few inches from her, his body leaned slightly in her direction, hinting that maybe he also felt the irrational need to be close to one another.

Soon her mind started to replay the moment he had dropped her off at home. Taking liberties with what really happened, Bella envisioned Edward leaning toward her slightly, and instead of just wishing her a good nights sleep, he softly and gently pressed his cool lips against hers, slowly moving them across her own.

"Penny for your thoughts."

Startled out of her daydream, Bella gave a slight shriek as she spun around, her eyes widening as Edward Cullen himself stepped out of the shadows. Looking down, she could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"Or is that too low?" He eyed her intently as he walked closer. "Cause I'd be willing to pay much, much more," he added, his voice low.

Trying to control her own voice, Bella asked him, "what are you doing here?"

Coming to stand beside her, he smirked. "It would have been rude to turn down the invitation."

Trying not to look surprised, Bella crossed her arms. She hadn't been aware that Jessica had invited him, thought it really shouldn't have been a shock. It was obvious to just about anyone that Jessica had, at least at one point, a crush on Edward Cullen. Still, Bella would have liked a little heads-up from her supposed friend.

"What I meant though was what are you doing out here?" Bella questioned him finally, looking around vaguely at the darkened patio.

Never taking his eyes off of her face, Edward replied casually, "looking for you."

Feeling her heart speed up, Bella looked back out over the backward. She felt Edward turn and fall in place beside her, placing his hands on the railing in front of him. His stance brought their shoulders dangerously close, a spark almost seeming to jump from his arm to hers.

"You look beautiful."

Bella turned her head and found Edward's caramel eyes boring into hers, his mouth turned up into a soft smile. Caught off guard, she slowly started to return the smile, his eyes drawing her in.

"Really?"

Her voice was barely above a whisper and when he leaned in slightly closer, his hand on the railing brushing up against hers, she nearly felt her knees give out.

"Breathtakingly," Edward proclaimed, his voice just as soft as her had been. His free hand reached out slowly and fingered one of the many small rose-buds wound in her hair. Pulling one down, he twirled it in his finger, eyeing the small flower.

"What is a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet."

Easily swooning, Bella felt her breath catch as Edward's velvet voice quoted Shakespeare, his gaze returning to hers after he was finished, his eyes bright and intense.

"Romeo and Juliet," Bella whispered after a long pause. "Act II, scene 2. It's a favorite of mine..." Her copy of the book was almost worn to those pages, easily flipping there when picked up.

"As I was well aware," Edward told her. Ignoring her questioning look, he smiled and glanced down at her outfit. "The lovely Sleeping Beauty herself, Princess Aurora."

Grinning, Bella asked, "how did you know?"

"I have my ways."

Realizing that all he had to do was take a small detour through Jessica or Angela's mind, Bella crossed her arms. "That's cheating."

He just laughed, the sound like music to Bella's ears. "Yes, I suppose it was," he told her, though he didn't apologize or sound upset that he had been caught.

"Sleeping Beauty," he mused, twirling the rose in his fingers once more. "Quite fitting..." His voice was low and Bella wasn't sure is he had meant for her to hear it or not.

"Fitting how?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Again he ignored her question, a smile spreading across his face, lighting it up and making her breath catch once more.

"Or should I call you Brier Rose?" he asked out of the blue, holding out the small rose-bud.

Taking the flower, Bella could feel her face blush once more, a routine action it seemed whenever Edward was around. Looking up from the rose, she cleared her throat, trying to keep her expression neutral and not let in one just how much he was effecting her.

"And who just are you supposed to be?" she asked, eyeing him up and down now, not letting her eyes linger on his muscular chest as she took in his black button up shirt, black pants, and black shoes. "This is a costume party, in case you were not aware."

Edward grinned, the lop-sided smirk making him seem younger than she knew he truly was. "Who says I didn't dress up?"

Confused, she shook her head. "I'm lost..."

Leaning in to whisper in her ear, Edward told her, his breath sending a slight shiver down her spine, "I'm a vampire."

The words finally reached her head and Bella scoffed. "That's not funny Edward," she hissed, earning another laugh from him. She couldn't help but notice that he hadn't moved back much, leaving their chests almost touching.

Almost hesitantly, he reached upward, his finger lightly tracing her bare shoulder while his eyes traced the area also, making Bella brace herself on the banister as her knees felt weak once more. Slowly, his cold finger moved across her collarbone, somehow leaving a trail of heat in it's wake. Swallowing, Bella knew speaking was not in her ability as she looked into his eyes, the longing and intense deepness of them making her stomach drop and her heart nearly stop.

His hand reached her face and Edward traced her jaw line softly before reaching up and placing a loose strand of hair back behind her ear, finally letting his palm come to rest on her cheek. When his eyes finally meet hers, he told her softly, "one should not have this much power over me..."

"Edward..." Bella breathed out, not even sure if her voice could be heard over her sigh.

"Yes?"

She couldn't help but lean in slightly when his wonderfully intoxicating breath washed over her face, her eyes slowly closing as she inhaled the delicious scent.

"Bella? You out...here..."

Almost instantly the spell was broken and Bella snapped her head to the right, taking in Mike Newton's body as he stood in the open doorway, obviously not happy with what he saw. His voice trailed off as he looked Edward up and down.

Edward, for his part, looked just as annoyed - if not more - as Mike did.

"Cullen," Mike greeted, his tone even.

"Newton." Edward's voice was lower, almost like he was daring Mike to say something.

Bella, eying the two boys, cleared her throat and turned her frame some so that she was facing Mike. Edward's hand fell from her cheek but she noticed he took a small step closer, making her side brush up against his chest.

"Did you need something Mike?" Bella questioned, trying to keep her voice from wavering as she felt the chill coming off of Edward's chest, enlisting goose-bumps up her arm.

Taking his eyes off of Edward, Mike said finally, "I was just wondering where you went off to." The implication in his voice was clear and Bella sighed inwardly. She knew Mike was still carrying hope that she might one day return his feelings, and while she did feel some guilt over that, it was starting to get old on her part.

But before Bella could say anything Edward opened his mouth, telling Mike in a tone that not only send shivers down Bella's spine but also left no room for questioning, "Bella and I just wanted to be alone."

Mike, his eyes wide and, for once, speechless, paused for a long moment before mumbling something about seeing her later then going back inside, shutting the door with more force than Bella thought was necessary.

Scowling, Edward shook his head. "That child is really starting to get on my nerves..."

Sending him a look at the word 'child' Bella turned back toward him, intentionally putting some space between them. Her heart was practically jumping out of her chest; she would never be able to talk to him normally if she didn't gain back some of her footing.

"You did provoke him," Bella mocked, sending him a rueful grin.

Grinning himself, Edward looked smug as he leaned back down on the railing and admitted, "it kept him from asking you do dance, did it not?"

"He was going to _what_?" Bella repeated, her voice loud in the darkness that was enclosed around them now that the door was shut once more. She could feel her mouth gapping open as she stared at Edward in horror.

He raised one eyebrow. "I take it you would have told him no?"

"Yeah, ya think?" she demanded, her tone angry. Not only did she _not _like Mike, Bella couldn't dance if it saved her life. The sheer thought of it made her palms sweat and her stomach turn into a pit of swarming snakes.

Tilting his head to the side slightly, Edward mused out loud, his voice curious, "and if _I_ were to ask you?"

Bella froze. "Wh-what?"

Smiling at her panicked expression, Edward left his casual pose against the railing and stood back up, taking the small steps it took to quickly close the space between them. "What would you say?"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Bella looked up at his face, asking in a shaky voice, "are you asking?"

Reaching out and taking her hand in his, Edward placed his other hand on her hip, stepping in closer till their chests met. "Dance with me."

His whisper of a voice held a command under it, letting Bella know it wasn't a question but more of a statement; he was taking charge and leading her into a realm that was unknown to her, a realm where the possibility of them being an 'them' was more than just a possibility.

"And if I were to refuse?" Bella asked him, though the thought was as far from her mind as the though of Mike Newton was.

Showing her his lop-sided grin once more, Edward said with confidence, "I don't remember Sleeping Beauty shooting down her Prince."

"Are you a prince now?" Bella asked, her voice teasing. "And here I thought you were a vampire."

"What can I say? I hopelessly regretting the decision to not dress up as Prince Phillip," he joked, pulling her arm up until their clasped hands were resting against his chest.

"So am I. You in a pair of tights would be quite a nice sight," Bella told him, mock pouting. Edward laughed and she joined in, only stopping when he pulled her closer, finally starting to dance them around the back porch.

-

It was well past midnight when Bella opened her front door and quietly entered her hallway. Tip-toeing into the living room, she found it empty and relaxed. Charlie had never given her a specific curfew so she didn't know if he would be upset or not with her late entrance.

Picking up the long hem of her dress, she slowly made her way up the stairs and into her bedroom, closing the door behind her with a soft click. Placing her back against it, she smiled to herself, looking down at the small rose that was still in her hand.

She hadn't let go of it the rest of the night, keeping it in her fingers as they had danced and even afterwards as they stayed out on the deck talking. She had never returned to the party and she silently wondered if Edward had even made himself known to anyone else that he had been there.

She could still hear his soft voice in her ears as he walked her down the sidewalk outside of Jessica's house, only stopping when they had reached her truck.

"Happy Halloween, Bella," he had told her.

"Happy Halloween, Edward," she told him back, her smile evident in her voice. He had reached up once more and traced her cheek before turning and walking away, only looking over his shoulder once.

Coming back to the present, Bella twirled the rose-bud in her fingers before standing up from her door and walking across her room, wrapping the stem around the top of her bedpost, the flower resting there when she let go.

Biting her lower lip as she grinned, Bella turned and went about getting ready for bed, her smile still in place as she turned out the light and climbed under the covers, the small amount of moonlight that was visible catching the pale-pink rose and making it shimmer.

Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, Bella thought she could faintly hear Edward's voice, calling out softly, "My sleeping beauty..."

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Love it? Like it? Dislike it? Hate it? Let me know which one it was!**

**Also, shamless plug announcement, but if there are any GG fans out there - specificially 'Lit' fans - please go check out my Gilmore Girls fics!! I'm slowly starting to feel like all us Jess fans are giving up...there aren't much around anymore... :(**

**Melissa**


	4. Brotherly Encounters

Title :** Brotherly Encounters**

Author : **Melissa (a.k.a. CherryWolf713, or, Lyssa)**

Summary : **With gym class canceled, Bella heads to the library, only to be put through an even more grueling excursion! Set half-way through 'Twilight', during the whole weird UST stuff during the movies in Biology. Part of the 'Taxi Service With A Smile' one-shot series. **

Pairing : **CC**

Status : **One-shot Complete / Series WIP**

Disclaimer : **Gee, sure golly, I do own Twilight! Yup-siree, I called up Stephanie Meyer and she was ever-so-nice and eagerly handed over all the millions of dollars worth of rights to the books and merchandise and movies and– oh, wait, yeah...that was a dream I had one time (before the movie actually came out, cause I woulda so been like ya can keep those) In case ya didn't get the sarcasm there, here's the big picture : Me? Poor. Stephanie? Rich. Me? Don't own 'em. Stephanie? She own 'em.**

A/N : **So...yeah...I'm not dead, nor seriously injured to the point where typing and/or writing was impossible. Basically, my Twilight-muse high-tailed it to the Bermuda Triangle and was never seen again. Then pair that up with a annoyingly un-killable mouse (well, un-killable until my Husky took matters into her own paws...) that chewed on my computer cords and you have a semi-excuse why I've been MIA for all these months. Also, some serious 'Dark Angel' mind-control took over and cornered me on that side of the site...but in my defense, Alec is awesomly and sexy and totally deserved my swooning and drooling over him :)**

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**Brotherly Encounters**

-

The obvious tension lingering from the weird physical pull during the movie in biology was still curling in the air between us as Edward walked me toward the main building that housed the school offices, the gym, and the library. Reaching the door first, he held it open for me, allowing plenty of room for my body to slide past without actually encountering his.

It was a short trip to the main doors of the gym, my eyes sliding to his as he paused. Following his gaze, he seemed to be staring into space down the hallway, his eyes tightening slightly as he listened to something I couldn't hear. Feeling awkward, I looked toward the gym and paused myself, reading the note on the door canceling the days class, informing the students to head to the library for a free study period.

"Huh," I mumbled, slightly confused but none the less happy to be free of gym. Turning back to Edward, I smiled. "I guess I better go to the library then."

Edward though, just nodded mutely and turned in that direction, not waiting for me to follow. Curious about the look on his face, I quickly caught up with him, staying quiet for the short duration of the walk past the main offices. As we reached the library a scowl appeared on his face and his eyes narrowed even more.

"What's wrong?" I finally asked, not being able to hold out any longer. He was obviously not happy about something. He seemed to be debating something over in his head, his mouth opening once to say something before he thought better of it, just sighing instead.

Turning his eyes toward mine, Edward just smiled slightly, though his eyes still remained guarded. "I'll see you after class."

Confused, I nodded, mumbling a similar goodbye, noting how he glared through the window of the door before turning and purposely striding away. Shaking my head, I opened the door and numbly walked into the library, ignoring Mike's glance from across the room as I choose a table by myself off to the side. I slowly pulled my math book out of my bag, Edward's unhappy face still fore-front of my mind.

It wasn't until I heard the scrapping of a chair being pulled out that I realized someone had sat down across from me at my table. Sighing inwardly, I opened my mouth, intending to tell Mike I just really wanted some alone time when I looked up and froze.

There, sitting directly across from me in the small under-stocked library was Emmett Cullen.

Edward's vampire brother.

It took a moment, and Emmett's raised eyebrows, for me to realize I still had my mouth hanging open and I slammed it shut, instantly biting back my cry of surprise since I had bitten my tongue. Panic overtook my whole body and I knew he could hear my heart pounding a mile a minute since he just smirked, obviously amused by my flustering.

I counted to 60 in my head, waiting the full minute to see if he was going to say or do anything besides sit there and stare at me. When he still didn't make a move I swallowed, knowing I couldn't stand the silence - not to mention the staring - any longer.

"Hi," I muttered softly, looking down at my textbook to avert my eyes.

"Hello."

I paused, suddenly coming to the realization that I had never heard Emmett speak before. For that matter, I had never heard any of the other Cullens's speak, besides Carlisle at the hospital. It shouldn't have surprised me how much alike and yet different Edward's burly brother sounded. He had the same perfect pitch that Edward seemed to contain, their voices alluring and almost other-worldly. But where Edward was pure velvet, his voice seductive and soothing at the same time, Emmett's was deep and light in a way I couldn't explain nor really understand.

"So you're the girl Edward is willing to risk it all for?"

I froze once more, not liking where this conversation was going. Edward had told me more than once that he was breaking all the rules by spending time with me, that his very presence in my life was against his normal ways. I locked my eyes on the pages in front of me, my face flaming a bright red.

Emmett, though, didn't seem to notice my discomfort this time and continued. "Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against you personally. I just don't get it."

I felt the table shake as he shrugged his shoulders, seeming to be genuine in his confusion. I chanced a look up at his face and got snagged by his topaz eyes, starting to feel the familiar pull to be truthful and not hold back like I did when Edward turned the full use of his eyes on me.

"You and me both," I admitted, my voice demure.

Emmett smirked and raised his eyebrow yet again, a dimple forming in the corner of his animated face. Blushing yet again, I cleared my throat and looked away in embarrassment, only then noticing that our little gathering had caught more than a few people's attention. I could see Mike's mouth slightly hanging open as he took in all of Emmett and then myself, alone by ourselves at the small corner table.

I knew Edward's brother was still waiting for an explanation when I returned my eyes back to my math book, still having not actually read one word on the page yet. "Look," I said finally, my voice low and slightly shaky, "I get that you don't want me near Edward. You don't have to give me some warning or something."

"Who said I was giving you a '_warning_'?" Emmett asked, laying an emphasis on the last word, making it sound ridiculous.

Surprised, I looked back up, for once feeling annoyed enough with this conversation to raise my voice slightly. "Then what is this?"

"I told you," he added with a smile, "I'm curious."

"Curious?" I repeated.

He nodded. "I don't get it. What's so special about you?" He shrugged once more, his voice openly friendly.

I blinked a few times, knowing he meant no harm in his comment but I couldn't stop the acid from forming in my voice completely when I tossed back at him, "Gee, should I be offended?" Deep down, I was silently agreeing with him but my stubborn streak refused to acknowledge that.

He openly grinned now, leaning back in his seat some and getting comfortable. "I don't know, should you?"

I could feel my anger starting to get the best of me as I got annoyed by his weird comments but I pushed it down, knowing it probably wouldn't be best to lash out at Edward's brother, and not just because I wasn't sure if his control was a stable as his brothers seemed to be.

"So, besides being curious, is there another meaning to this ambush?"

"I'm ambushing you? Cool," Emmett mused gleefully. "I'm sure Edward will wanna tear me a new one later for it, but oh well; he can try all he wants."

Before I could stop myself the words were flying out of my mouth, completely ignoring my earlier effort to not offend someone who could possibly fling me though the wall behind my chair. "I seriously doubt Edward has any trouble defending himself."

Suddenly Emmett pierced me with a deep stare, his voice quite serious. "But that's where you're wrong, Bella." He seemed to ponder his comment for a moment then added, off handily, "at least where it concerns you."

"What does that mean?" I questioned, not liking the tone in his voice.

Emmett was smiling again now. Instead of answering my question, he just told me, "you got quite a temper, don't you?" I scowled down at my hands, earning a laugh from him. "I think I'm starting to see why Edward likes you. Well, that plus the fact he can't read your mind. It drives him crazy, ya know?"

"Is that so?"

"Oh yeah. But he needs to be put in his place every now and then; too cocky."

I could feel a smile tugging at my lips but held firm, just tilting my head slightly. "I'm sure Edward doesn't like that opinion about himself."

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Of course not. But he knows it's true. Besides, it's not like he wouldn't know it even if I didn't say it. Not _everyone _can keep secrets from him."

My emotions felt like they were on a roller coaster during this weird little conversation, quickly going from nervous to offended to amused and then back again. "You think I'd keep secrets from him?"

"I'm not saying that," he corrected me easily. "I just get a kick out of the idea of someone finally being able to. He knows way too much for his own good."

I shook my head, even more confused now.

"I like you, Bella - you're feisty. You'll be good for Edward."

I was quickly pulled out of my confused thoughts by his words and looked back up, asking, "what has Edward told you about me?"

"What has Edward said about us?"

When we both just stared, not saying a word, Emmett suddenly cracked a huge smile. I couldn't deny mine this time and smiled back.

"Later," Emmett said suddenly with another grin and wink, getting up more gracefully than I would have imagined for someone his size. He waltzed out the library doors, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Still smiling, I bit my lip and looked downward, finally starting to pay attention to the book laying open in front of me.

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A/N2 : **Short, I know, but this is all I could come up. Plus, I like where it ended and all so...hopefully I'll make the next one longer! Please review cause reviews are love and I am all about the love!!**

**...and I'm totally a review-whore and wait impatiently in front of the computer for my next fix - it's an addiction, I tell you!! An addiction!!! LoL :)**

**Melissa**


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